The economy in shock
Cost of SD living soars, thanks in part to that electricity bill
Don Bauder, SAN DIEGO READER
Friday, March 20, 2015
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The National University System Institute for Policy Research has done an eye-opening study for the California Business Roundtable and the allied Californians for Affordable & Reliable Energy. The bottom line is that the high cost of energy — particularly electricity provided by utilities — is a significant drag on the San Diego economy.
Erik Bruvold, president of the institute and author of the study, points out that according to the California Energy Commission, between 2000 and 2012, residential electricity costs in San Diego County averaged 12 percent more per kilowatt hour for San Diego Gas & Electric residential customers than for customers of Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison. The former utility serves the highest-income, most manufacturing-intensive area of the state (and perhaps the nation) and the latter also serves an area with a robust economy.